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The Cognitive Dissonance Experiment: Exploring Conflicting Beliefs and Attitude Shifts

Prep Time:

45-60 minutes

Cook Time:

  • Emotional Comfort: Ensure participants understand the experiment’s purpose and that they can stop at any time if they feel uncomfortable.

  • Informed Consent: Obtain consent from all participants and, if they are minors, from their parents or guardians.

  • Sensitive Topics: Avoid prompts that might cause significant distress or touch on deeply personal beliefs.

Serves:

14-18 years

Level:

To explore the psychological phenomenon of cognitive dissonance and how it affects our beliefs and attitudes when we are confronted with conflicting information.

About the Recipe

  • Cognitive Dissonance: Understand the concept of cognitive dissonance and how it can lead to changes in attitudes or beliefs.

  • Attitude Change: Explore the psychological mechanisms that cause people to shift their attitudes when confronted with conflicting beliefs.

  • Critical Thinking: Develop the ability to argue from different perspectives and understand the complexity of belief systems.

Ingredients

  • Paper and pens or computers for writing essays.

  • Pre-designed prompts with viewpoints that participants are likely to disagree with.

  • Attitude survey or questionnaire (before and after the experiment).

  • Consent forms for participants.

  • Timer or clock.

Preparation

  • Preparation:

    • Create a list of essay prompts that express viewpoints most teenagers might find controversial or disagreeable.

    • Prepare an attitude survey or questionnaire to measure participants’ initial opinions on the topic.

  • Introduction:

    • Introduce the concept of cognitive dissonance: the discomfort experienced when holding two conflicting beliefs.

    • Explain that participants will be writing an essay supporting a viewpoint they personally disagree with.

  • Pre-Experiment Survey:

    • Have participants complete the attitude survey to record their initial stance on the chosen topic.

  • Writing Task:

    • Assign participants to write a persuasive essay supporting the viewpoint they disagree with. Emphasize that they should argue convincingly as if they genuinely believe in the position.

  • Post-Experiment Survey:

    • After writing, have participants complete the same attitude survey again to see if their attitudes have shifted towards the viewpoint they argued for in their essays.

  • Debrief:

    • Discuss the concept of cognitive dissonance and how it might have influenced any changes in their attitudes. Encourage participants to reflect on their experience of writing the essay and the possible psychological effects.

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